Naoki,
We
sure missed having you at the little gathering we had to present Mr. Honda
with his beautiful gyotaku! He was really touched and especially liked your
wording on the gift certificate – no expiration, when you “get lucky”.
He’s looking forward to being able to bring a catch in with his daughter,
Kelly, so they can get a truly personal work of art! You’ll like Kelly and
Arnold!
Anyway,
here are a few pictures of the presentation. We are going to have another
get together at his new apartment when we hang the triptych. He has a
perfect wall for it and the colors are perfect! We’ll let you know when
that function is so hopefully you can join us.
Thank
you so much for your hospitality and sharing your love for your art! We had
so much fun visiting you and seeing all your works, completed and in
progress and know that
Arnold
will also thoroughly enjoy the experience!
If
you ever need any kind of insurance, be sure to call Arnold or Sheila (his
assistant). He will be thrilled to provide you with the most excellent
products and service you could ever desire!
Kathy
K. Tawata
Occidental Underwriters of Hawaii, Ltd.
Good morning Naoki & Lon,
Just received the painting and man is it incredible! I just placed it on the wall in my office behind my desk and people are coming in from the street just to see it! Just wanted to thank you guys again for a great fishing trip and for this wonderful piece of art. Hope you guys and your family have a great Christmas and New Year's.
Aloha,
Mark
Good morning guys,
Hope you had a great Christmas! Man you would not believe the complements this great Ahi painting is getting. People from the street are coming in just to see it! I am very happy and grateful you guys took me fishing with Dave now I have this sweet painting to come to work to everyday, I love it.
I think it was my favorite Christmas present, well I did buy it for myself so it should be right.? Anyways hope you have a great New Year's and see you soon.
Aloha,
Mark
Naoki,
Thank you so much for showing me around your studio when I visited with
Darren, Jon, and Lori, on behalf of the Cherry Blossom Festival and the
Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce. Having be raised in a
fishing-friendly family, seeing your gyotaku prints and learning how you
create memorable pieces of artwork, are really fascinating to me.
I promised you photos of the beautiful koa framed gyotaku print, you so
generously donated to the Cherry Blossom Festival as part of my award. It is
now hanging at my Dad's house, temporarily of course, until I have a place
of my own. Until then, my family will continue to enjoy it's presence in our
home and it will be something I treasure and display for the rest of my
life.
Mahalo!
Desiree Yamamoto
54th Cherry Blossom Queen
Dear Mr. Naoki
I just wanted to write to tell you what an
inspiration you've been to my students. I teach deaf children at
Gallaudet University's Clerc Center, in Washington, DC. We've been
looking at your marvelous website and began doing Gyotaku with the three and
four year olds. The results have been very nice and the students have
been thrilled. We shall continue to peruse your sight and look forward
to upcoming images.
